In situ measurements of 137Cs γ-ray emission at very high altitudes using a fully portable detector

In the last few years, significant attention has been given to climate changes on a local and global scale. The chemical composition and physical properties of the cryosphere have been and are widely used as indicators of the past climate changes and present environmental transformations. In this field portable γ-ray spectrometers for in situ radioactivity measurements on glaciers and snowfields are very useful, in particular during ice core drillings and pollution monitoring at high altitudes or in remote areas, where sampling is difficult or impossible. A fully portable γ-ray spectrometer for in situ radioactivity measurements is described and the results of the first measurements performed up to 6400 m a.s.l. are reported and discussed.